1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for a food product with a shell of "cialda" (or wafer, the two terms being substantially equivalent) and a creamy filling.
2. Problems Addressed by the Invention
Products of the type specified above are widely known in the art, evidence thereof being provided, for example, by the documents EPA-A-0 064 155 and EP-A-0 083 324.
The invention has been developed with specific attention to its possible use in the production of semi-cold food products.
During the production of this type of product, it is necessary to take account of the difficulty of putting a wafer layer into contact with a mass which is hydrated (or substantially hydrated, that is, which may have a certain moisture content) particularly when the mass has a water content which is harmful to the wafer casing. The intrinsic moisture of the mass of filling in fact tends to migrate towards the wafer shell giving rise to adverse effects such as softening, going mouldy and fermentation processes, etc.
For a general discussion of the problems inherent in the production of wafer layers and their use in contact with creamy layers, reference may usefully be made to the following bibliographical documents:
"Ergebnisse von Untersuchungen hinsichtlich des Einflusses der Feuchtekonzentration auf die Scherfestigkeit von gefullten Waffeln" by A. Schaller and E. Mohr, published in "Lebensmittel und Ernahrung", May 1976, pp.120 et seq; PA1 "Probleme bei der Produktion von schaumgefullten Waffeln" by Werner Richter, published in "Backer und Konditor", vol. 10, 1970, pp. 301 et. seq; PA1 "Verhalten von Waffelblattern mit feuchten Fullungen" by Helmut Loser, published in Kakao+Zucker, 9/1981, pp. 243 et seq; and PA1 "Observations on lipolytic spoilage of wafer fillings at relative humidities below the limit for mould growth" by M. Lubienleki-von Scherlhorn and A. Purr, published in Rev. Ing. Choc. (RIC) 23 (1968) Nov. 11, 1968, pp. 426 et seq.
In this general field, the prevalent tendency is to avoid, as far as possible, wafer layers coming into contact with masses of hydrated filling except with the interposition of separating layers (for example, of chocolate) which can prevent the moisture from migrating towards the wafer layer; in this connection see, for example, EP-A-0 064 155 already mentioned above.
Another solution in current use gets around the problem with the use, for the wafer filling, of masses which are substantially anhydrous in the sense that any moisture content in the filling is reduced to a level such as not to cause softening of the wafer.
Substantially intermediate between the solutions described above is the solution described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,997, in which wafer sheets are baked and their moisture content is then substantially increased. A layer of cream having a moisture content less than that of the wafer sheets is then applied to the sheets.
The present invention also addresses the problem of producing a structure for a food product with a wafer shell and a creamy filling, overcoming the intrinsic limitations of the previous solutions.
According to the present invention, this object is achieved by virtue of a structure for a food product having the specific characteristics recited in claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention form the subject of the dependent claims 2 to 11.